JVC N 55 SL DVD & cd speler

DVD players have been slimming down for the past few years, and at less than two inches high, the N55 is one of the flattest we've seen. The unit comes in both black (the XV-N50BK) and silver (the XV-N55SL). Its angular face has a bright-blue neon bar directly under the centered disc tray and an informational LCD to the left. Fortunately, the distracting lights can be dimmed or turned off by a couple of clicks on the medium-size remote, which is well proportioned but overly crowded with buttons. Also, its disc-transport keys glow in the dark, and it can control many brands of televisions

The XV-N55SL is a progressive-scan DVD player that sits at the middle of JVC's line of single-disc models. Despite some promising features, this $170 (list price) player has some issues that should give potential buyers pause.